Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said Wednesday at a ceremony kicking off Pride Month that if he loses reelection in November, Republicans will take the “breathtaking” step to ban books, particularly those related to the LGBTQ community.

Evers made his comments after a ceremony outside the state Capitol where a progress pride flag was raised symbolizing the inclusion of marginalized people within the LGBTQ community. Evers, who vowed to always stand with the LGBTQ community, was the first governor to ever raise a rainbow flag over the Capitol in 2019. He was asked if he feared the tradition would end if a Republican beats him.

Evers said he was concerned about any progress made for the LGBTQ community being rolled back. He referenced efforts by some Republican lawmakers who are looking into books available at school libraries across the state. Wisconsin Examiner reported Tuesday on Republicans who are gathering lists of books covering LGBTQ topics and characters, as well as issues of gender identity or sexuality.

Evers made his comments after a ceremony outside the state Capitol where a progress pride flag was raised symbolizing the inclusion of marginalized people within the LGBTQ community. Evers, who vowed to always stand with the LGBTQ community, was the first governor to ever raise a rainbow flag over the Capitol in 2019. He was asked if he feared the tradition would end if a Republican beats him.

Evers said he was concerned about any progress made for the LGBTQ community being rolled back. He referenced efforts by some Republican lawmakers who are looking into books available at school libraries across the state. Wisconsin Examiner reported Tuesday on Republicans who are gathering lists of books covering LGBTQ topics and characters, as well as issues of gender identity or sexuality.

“They are going to be putting themselves in charge of banning books in the state of Wisconsin and you can be damn sure that some of its going to be directly related to LGBTQ community efforts,” Evers said. “Just think about that. This Legislature and Republican governor would be banning books in the state of Wisconsin. It’s breathtaking.”